Hi - my name is Heather and I am trying to raise money for Charity: Water, which funds water projects such as building wells, latrines, handwashing stations, etc. in areas in need around the world, including: Ethiopia; Kenya; Cote D'Ivoire; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Sierra Leone; Rwanda; Uganda; Tanzania; the Central African Republic; Bolivia; Cambodia; Bangladesh; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; India; Malawi; and Nepal.

Please don't be intimidated by my fundraising goal. I know it's rather unrealistic, so any money helps. $20 is all it takes to provide 1 person access to safe water. You will receive paperwork for your tax deduction via email within minutes of making a donation.

Only recently I learned that many of the villages in need have fresh water right underneath them while they are dying of dehydration and disease because they do not have the means to access the water. A well will change the lives of people for generations to come not only by reducing the large number of deaths, but it will also save women and children up to 3 hours a day of walking to get unsafe water from polluted swamps and streams, allowing children the time to attend school, graduate, obtain jobs and improve economic conditions, and clean water can be used for irrigation for communities to grow their own food for consumption and sales at local markets--again, improving economic conditions.

Right now, the communities that have not already received funding for water projects, are devastated by unsafe drinking water which kills 1 child every 19 seconds in Africa. 90% of 30,000 deaths per week from unsafe water and unhygenic living conditions are children under the age of 5. Unsafe water and living conditions lead to diseases such as Hepatitis A, Cholera, E. coli; Samonella; and, Schistosoma. These diseases from unsafe water kill more people each year than any form of violence including war.

Your donations will go directly to Charity: Water. They do not go through me at all. Then, when we reach the closing date of my fundraising campain, the money raised with your help will be pooled with money from others' campaigns and sent to Charity: Water and then distributed to its partners in the local communities. These are reputable charities and organizations which have served the local areas for long periods of time. You can learn more about these partners at:

http://www.charitywater.org/projects/partners/.

You can track every dollar raised and see the projects you have helped fund. 100% of the money goes to actual costs, which is what I like about this charity vs. others where you are contributing to cause with a vague description like "your money will help us promote___in the area of ___" Information about the projects we help fund through my campaign will be posted on my page on Charity: Water's website.

Information and videos about the projects already completed or underway by clicking on a specific project on this map:

http://www.charitywater.org/projects/map/

Charity: Water selects the appropriate water project for the community depending upon the areas conditions. For example, if ground water is not available, rainwater harvesting or bio sand filters are used. The community learns how to construct and maintain the water project and is educated on sanitation. All community members contribute time and labor to the project's construction. When it is completed, the data is gathered--GPS coordinates, technology used, population served, costs, and photos, and a final report is prepared and sent to Charity: Water. Charity: Wather then assigns the dollars we have raised through my campaign to specific projects we funded. You can see a sample report here:

http://www.charitywater.org/projects/d2p/

Thanks for your time and hopefully, your donation :-)! Please do not feel obligated to make a donation. You can also start your own campaign through this website.

- Heather